That is just a 2D advertisement in the game. Things like that are allowed to cross over universes. Technically, from what Rockstar says, that isn't really CJ. It is him, but at the same time, it isn't. Hard to explain. Basically, it's not really canon and he only exists as CJ in the 3D Universe. IV and V are taking place in the HD Universe, FYI.

typhoon1234

Not spamming here but I really think that's 8 Ball. And after that mission is complete they give you a strange musical tone. Not the normal mission complete sound. Anyways maybe I'm wrong. Just my thought.

bluesboyjr

I've just rewatched the mission on Youtube, and the doctor and 8-Ball sound nothing alike. Here's the doctor. Here's 8-Ball. They're completely different accents, for one thing. The video I saw didn't have the mission complete sound, but I don't see how that would indicate it was 8-Ball - GTA IV has several different mission complete jingles depending on the type of mission. So the two guys have completely different voices, completely different lines of work, completely different clothing, and one smokes while the other doesn't. The only things they have in common is they're both bald black guys with moustaches, which might as well mean they're both Officer Tenpenny too. I'm sorry, but that's a bit of a stretch.

Nem_Wan

How and when would 8-Ball have completed medical school, a surgical residency and then screwed up badly enough to lose his license and have to get into the illegal organ trade? The Doctor may have an illegal business, but only a real M.D. would have the knowledge and skill to harvest and deliver viable organs for transplant. The Doctor character must have a completely different background from 8-Ball and there's no reason it would be him.

MrDanceWithLance

Rockstar has stated that the GTA III Era is not connected to the GTA IV Era, and that the GTA III Era is over, so I highly doubt that black doctor is 8-Ball. Why would a bomb expert want to be a doctor when he is earning a lot of money selling car bombs? 8-Ball and this doctor are completely different people.

Nem_Wan

Rockstar has stated that the GTA III Era is not connected to the GTA IV Era, and that the GTA III Era is over, so I highly doubt that black doctor is 8-Ball. Why would a bomb expert want to be a doctor when he is earning a lot of money selling car bombs? 8-Ball and this doctor are completely different people.

You're correct about 8-Ball and what you're saying about old characters being unable to appear is true. However the universes are not completely separate. Think of a building with two windowless, escape-proof rooms and a locked door between them, but the people in each room can hear each other through the wall and occasionally pass notes under the door.

The Grand Theft Auto III timeline is not necessarily over - but it is a different world to Grand Theft Auto IV - only the branding and certain radio personalities exist across both worlds. The reason for this was that we felt Grand Theft Auto IV was a high-definition experience and required different kinds of characters. That - and the fact that most people from the previous world are dead.

I highlighted Rockstar's quote to clarify that's it's not really true that the GTA III timeline is over or not connected to GTA IV. The branding and radio personalities exist in both worlds and that is a connection. On GTA IV's in-game Internet there are a few followups and references to characters and events in the GTA III timeline, for example GTA SA radio personality James Pedeaston has a website in GTA IV that continues his GTA SA storyline as a pedophile sex tourist.

the “universes” are the worlds interpreted at different definitions, 2d, 3d and high definition, so we felt brands and radio / back ground characters would exist in both, but 3 dimensional characters would not. This is the logic (as far as it could be considered logical) behind it

In other words, the main continuity that the player interacts with is different in HD GTA games than in previous 3D GTA games. At the same time, the background universe seen and heard through in-game media is at least partially continuous.